Thursday, 7 May 2009

D-DAY for PERAK: The Cross-Road to International Ridicule or to National Enlightenment

4.oo pm: Batu parliamentarian Tian Chua is arrested outside the state secretariat building.The police inform him that the area has been cordoned off. The opposition politician tells police that he is there to greet his Pakatan colleagues. Although he is accompanied by PKR treasurer and Selayang MP William Leong and several other party leaders, the police only detain him. He is forcefully dragged to an unmarked police vehicle.

3.00pm: PAS youth chief Salahuddin Ayub who was arrested this morning told Malaysiakini that he was being held at the Sungai Senam police station in Ipoh.He said there are about 40 others who were arrested this morning at the station. He added that he had given a statement to the police but has not been informed when he will be released.

12.50pm: Umno Youth's Saiful Adli files a police report against Sivakumar for ordering Zambry and others out of the House. He says this is in contempt of court.

By 10. 30 amThe 15 people have been arrested. They include one MP and three state assemblypersons - Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR-Selangor) (she resisted, resulting in a slight scuffle. Police officers forcibly subdued her and put handcuffs on the parliamentarian. )Ayer Keroh state rep Khoo Poay Tiong (DAP-Malacca), Teratai state rep Jenice Lee (DAP-Selangor) and Bahau state rep Tey Kok Seong (DAP-Negri Sembilan). PAS Youth chief and MP for Kubang Kerian Salahuddin Ayub was arrested.Two more politicians have been arrested by the police for breaching the injunction against gathering at the state secretariat - Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar (PSM) and Parit Buntar Mujahid Yusof Rawa (PAS).

DAP's Ipoh Timor member of parliament Lim Kit Siang, under whose area the state secretariat is located, is turned away from the building. Also with Lim are DAP's MPs for Ipoh Barat M Kulasegaran and Teluk Intan MP M Manogaran. The three MPs had official invitations to attend the sitting from assembly speaker. In an ensuing shouting match with the police, Kulasegaran's aide was arrested.

Sad to see how the police is lending their hand towards maintaining the coup-d'eta MB and the illegal government of Perak. Latest report that came to me is that the police is arresting anyone related to Pakatan Rakyat indiscriminately. Without reason and without cause.

They are using everything at their disposal to help UMNO and Barisan Nasional.Yet, they (POLICE) get paid from money that belongs to the people, while they are working for UMNO clearly. Our crime rate is spiking and is never seen to be receeding.

Yet, they use their entire might to maintain and defend and illegal government of UMNO and BN. Clearly, I can say that the police have openly prostituted themselves for UMNO and Barisan Nasional-Tulang Besi

B. In the State Assembly

--- THAT'S THE END OF THE UPDATES ON TUMULTUOUS PROCEEDINGS IN THE PERAK STATE ASSEMBLY --

"What we have witnessed today (7th May 2009) will long be remembered." - Anil Netto

3.50 pm: The Raja Muda has finished his address.3.21 pm: Raja Nazrin talks about the economic crisis, the government's economic stimulus package , the mini budget and how these are meant to help the economy. He also talks about how swine flu presents us new challenges. He is also talking about t projects that have been implemented in Perak that have benefitted the people.3.20 pm: The Raja Muda is delivering his address. He is talking about the STIMULUS PACKAGE.

When the Raja Muda entered the Dewan, Pakatan Aduns were standing around and Nizar had a word with the Raja Muda. The Raja Muda asked Nizar to approach him and then Nizar returned to his seat. The Raja Muda then asked the Aduns to respect the Dewan. Raja Nazrin whispers something to Ngeh Koo Ham and Nizar Jamaluddin after they kiss his hand to greet him. PR Aduns take their seats on the right side of the speaker's chair. Following this, Nizar tells all Pakatan reps to take their seat and they obey.

The POLICE install a new chair for Ganesan as the old speaker's chair was damaged during the earlier scuffle. Special Branch Officers leave the chamber.

Sivakumar's official Toyota Camry bearing the registration plate 'AFD 999' is seen leaving the state secretariat building with a woman passenger but the Speaker is NOT in the car.

3.15 pm:Raja Nazrin enters the House.

While waiting for Raja Nazrin to enter, about 20 special branch officers have lined up at the front of the chamber to form a barrier between where Raja Nazrin will sit and the floor of the House.

3.14 pm: A wall of officers and other personnel from the State Secetariat is blocking the area near the Speaker's area, probably to prevent anyone else from taking the Speaker's seat. 3.10 pm:Another adjournment announced to wait for the entry of Raja Nazrin Shah.

Ganesan orders Teja and SImpang Pulai Aduns out of the House. Requests the Bentara to remove them. The doa is recited.Zambry moves a motion that the next order of the House is to start with prayers and allow the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin to give his royal address. All the while PR Aduns are thumping their tables. The 28 BN Aduns and three independents vote to approve Zambry's motion while PR Aduns shout "Bubar, bubar!"

3.00 pm:Ganesan has taken over the Speaker's seat and he is trying to restore order. But Pakatan Aduns are drowning him out. "It's like a market here now," says an eye-witness. They are shouting that this is a POLICE STATE

A few FRU personnel have emerged from their trucks outside. About 20 FRU personnel are moving outside to take up positions.

The FRU personnel are lining up just behind the barbed wire rolled across the junction opposite the State Assembly entrance, their backs facing the building.

2.50 pm: The shouting betwen BN and PR Aduns continues as reps face off with each other around the Speaker Sivakumar's chair, now empty. His seat has been taken away.The Speaker's desk is now vacant. The same group of 'officials' escort Ganesan to the speaker's chair.

A MILITARY-STYLED POLICE- SUPPORTED COUP D'ETA IN THE PERAK ASSEMBLY HAS BEGUN!!

2.45 pm:Speaker Sivakumar has been physically removed from his chair. He has been taken out the door.A group of men clad in jackets grab hold of Sivakumar and forcibly remove him from the House. The men are believed to be POLICE PERSONNEL.

A PR Adun was pushed to the floor near the speaker's chair. Special Branch officers are also in the chamber.

Sivakumar resists and shouts, "I am the legal speaker. Why am I being treated like this?" Pakatan reps try to shield him but more plainclothes men enter the House and manage to breakthrough the human barricade. At present, there are scores of plainclothes men wearing tags which read 'official' in the House. Several Pakatan reps are also dragged out and the ensuing melee saw several flower pots being smashed.Everyone has crowded around Speaker Sivakumar's chair.

Pakatan Aduns are now trying to prevent Ganesan from taking the Speaker's seat.

About half a dozen police officers are in the Dewan.

2.40 pm:The situation in the Dewan is deteriorating. The BN Aduns and the sergeant at arms are trying to forcefully remove Siva from his seat. 2.35 pm: The sergeants-at-arms are now trying to remove Sivakumar from the speaker's chair to allow Ganesan to assume the main chair.Attempts by the sergeant-at-arms and state assembly staff to remove Sivakumar are being resisted by the speaker and Pakatan reps. Some other Pakatan assemblypersons are continuing with their attempts to eject BN speaker Ganesan from the house.2.30 pm: PR ADUNs line up in front of Speaker Sivakumar's chair, as if to block him from attempts to remove him physically.2.26 pm:The BN Aduns are trying to remove Siva by forcebut the Pakatan Aduns have gathered around him to stop them. There is a lot of pushing and shoving among the state reps. A few punches were thrown. A number of reps climb up the table. It is complete pandemonium in the assembly.

2.25 pm: Two or three POLICE have ENTERED the Dewan. The Pakatan Aduns are shouting at the police, asking them to leave the Dewan. 2.15 pm: Pakatan Aduns are chanting loudly, "Bubar Dun!" BN ADUNs taking their seat again. Pakatan reps are trying to physically stop Ganesan from entering the chamber. There is a lot of pushing and pulling among the state reps.1.13 pm: Siva is refusing to budge from his seat even though there is a one-hour recess. 1.03 pm: The Assembly has taken another recess for an hour. Ganesan announces that he "adjourns" the House for another hour even though the sitting was NOT openedand his appointment as the new speaker is questionable. Ganesan e is unfamiliar with the House standing orders. he wa helped by BN Exco Hamidah (Sungai Rapat). He is laughed at by Pakatan reps.

12.59 pm: Ganesan has been given a mike and he tries to reconvene the assembly. But he is drowned out by Pakatan Aduns. PR reps again ask Zambry, six exco members and three independents to leave. Nizar stands next to Sivakumar and holds up Sivakumar's place card, indicating that Sivakumar is the rightful Speaker.12.55: Zambry has not come back after the recess. Siva is in his seat. The Pakatan Aduns are standing around.Ganesan is sitting near Hee. It's a bit of a standoff or stalemate.

Things are turning ugly in the house.Pakatan rep Thomas Su ridicules Hee Yit Foong by offering her RM50 and shouting ‘go and die' in Cantonese. Another Pakatan rep also throws some papers at Ganesan. Pakatan rep Yew Tian Hoe (Aulong) throws two RM1 notes at Hee, prompting her to pick up the notes and tear them to pieces. Other reps - from both sides of the divide - are recording the happenings in the house in their handphones. Sivakumar from the speaker's chair also asks Ganesan to leave.

12.45 pm: Ganesan's makeshift "Speaker's" table is in the middle of the aisle. He didn't have a normal seat in the Dewan like the others as he is NOT an Adun. Before he was appointed, he was sitting in a corridor at the back of the Dewan. When he was "appointed" Speaker, he took a position at a table on the aisle. Now, after pressure from Pakatan Aduns, Ganesan moves to a seat near Zambry. 12.35 pm: Its Speaker vs Speaker in the assembly now. After an hour-long recess, the session continues with Pakatan speaker Sivakumar asking BN appointed speaker Ganesan to leave the dewan. . Ganesan is the former Sungkai assemblyperson who was defeated by Nizar in the recent Bukit Gantang by-election.Five Pakatan Aduns are asking Ganesan to leave. They say he is not authorised to be a Speaker and point to his name tag which says only "pegawai". Among the things said by PR ADUNs to Ganesan are, "Please lah, leave. Salvage MIC." Shouts of "Out! Out!".A short scuffle breaks out briefly but it is over now. BN reps are just watching the arguments

12.24 pm : Ganesan, the "new Speaker" in his regalia, has his table on the aisle. Siva is still in his Speaker's seat.

12. 20 pm:The session has resumed. 12.00 : Speaker V. Sivakumar says this mornings proceedings are not valid, noting that the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah, had yet to deliver his opening address. Sivakumar says that the sitting proper begins only after the opening address. I t is believed that Raja Nazrin is preparing to deliver his address as soon as the one-hour adjournment is over.11.56 am: They have put out a table for the "new Speaker"11.45 am : Even with the one-hour recess, Siva has not left his seat! The Pakatan Aduns too are mostly still in the Dewan though some of the BN Aduns have left. Hee is still around too. Pakatan reps are still in discussion with Mohammad Nizar while the BN reps are glued to their seats worried that Sivakumar would start the sitting if they leave the House.

(Pakatan elected representatives told Malaysiakini that their seating arrangements were changed BEFORE they entered the house this morning - moving their places from the right of the speaker to the left.However since they arrived into the house much earlier than the BN reps, the Pakatan reps just made the necessary changes to sit in their original places at the right of the speaker.By convention, the ruling party sits in the right of the speaker.)

11.30am: "As long as I am here, the other speaker (Ganesan) is haram," said Sivakumar while attempting to start the assembly sitting. His microphone is still turned off . Sivakumar is questioning the legality of the decisions made by the BN side, including the decision to appoint a new speaker. He said the assembly has not officially begun as the Perak regent has yet to declare the sitting open.

11.23am: Sivakumar once again asks the 10 BN reps to leave the House. Failing which, he warns that he will not reconvene the sitting. But as far as BN reps are concerned, their speaker has adjourned the sitting. A shouting match erupts again.

11.21am: Amidst the pandemonium in the House, BN still manages to pass four motions. These include to remove Sivakumar as the speaker, to appoint Ganesan as the new speaker, to appoint new state committee members and to declare the tree assembly illegal.

11.13am: Sivakumar announces that he rejected the three motions yesterday in chambers.

11.05am: Deputy speaker Hee Yit Foong, who is now a BN-friendly independent, announces that she has taken over from Sivakumar. Standing behind a cordon of BN state reps, she orders the sergeant-at-arms to expel Sivakumar. However, no action is taken by the sergeant-at-arms.

The august Perak state assembly is now in shambles after Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Datuk R. Ganesan took his oath as the new Speaker in a corner of the hall amid chaotic scenes and shouting matches after Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Foong “removed” Speaker V. Sivakumar. Sivakumar has refused to vacate the speaker’s seat while Ganesan presides over the sitting from his corner.

7.30 pm: 6th May (Wednesday): POLICE SHOW MUSCLES WITH COURT INJUNCTIONBeginning from tonight, there will be police road blocks along major roads leading to state secretariat building. According to Bernama, all roads leading to the main gate of the building - from Jalan Kuala Kangsar, Jalan Silibin, Jalan Lahat, and Jalan Hospital - will be temporarily closed . Inspector general of police Musa Hassan has warned the public not to wear black tomorrow or to gather to protest against the assembly sitting.Police have today obtained a court injunction which will empower them to arrest on sight any member of the public seen within the vicinity of Perak state secretariat building. The court injunction bars all supporters of political parties from gathering within 500 meters of the building, where the controversial state assembly sitting will be held tomorrow..Read here for more

3.15 pm - 6th May (Wednesday): PAS VICE PRESIDENT ARRESTED BY POLICE PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu was arrested by the police at about 3.15pm today near the Harakah office in Jalan Pahang Barat, Kuala Lumpur. It is believed that he was arrested over his plan to hold mass prayers tomorrow in Masjid Al-Ittihadiyah, Manjoi, Ipoh, over the Perak state assembly sitting. The Masjid Al-Ittihadiyah, where the prayer session will be held at 5am, is about six kilometres from the assembly building.The prayer session is expected to draw a large number to oppose the Barisan Nasional's power grab in the state.Mohamad was arrested by about 10 plainclothes policemen just as he was leaving a restaurant to go to the Harakah office.PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub was with him when he was arrested. Mohamad Sabu's wife Normah Alwi said a police officer informed her this afternoon that her husband will be sent to Slim River in Perak on remand. "The event has not even taken place yet, why the arrest?" asked an outraged Normah.Read here for more

12.30 pm: - 6th May (Wednesday): Dr Mahathir Says Sultan Has NO Power to Remove MBDr Mahathir Mohamad today delivered a potential hammer blow to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak by stating that an elected head of a state government cannot be removed by a sultan.Instead, the former prime minister said that the elected head of a state government can only be removed by a vote of no-confidence in the legislative assembly.The former premier further revealed that BN may have been “a little bit hasty” when it decided to form the new government in Perak". Read here for more

POLICE TRUCKS WITH ANTI-RIOT SQUAD AND WATER CANNON TRUCKS HEADING FOR IPOHMalaysiakini journalists heading for Ipoh reported a number of police trucks ferrying anti-riot personnel. Also seen were two water cannon trucks. See Video clip HERE

ADVICE from Blogger "Zorro-UnMasked" When Faced with the Pro-UMNO Police Firing Tear Gas

A lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (from lacrima meaning "a tear" in Latin) (commonly referred to as tear gas) is a chemical compound that stimulates the corneal nerves in the eyes to cause tearing, pain, and even temporary blindness.

Tear gas works by irritating mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs, and cause crying, sneezing, coughing hard breathing, etc. Lachrymators are thought to act by attacking sulphydryl functional groups in enzymes, but the mechanism is not well understood. First used in 1915, Xylyl bromide was a popular tearing agent since it was easily brewed.

These chemicals are tear producing agents, hence the euphemism 'tear gas'. Exposure to them causes severe eye irritation, a profuse flow of tears, skin irritation (especially on moist areas of the body) and irritation of the upper respiratory tract, causing sneezing, coughing and difficulty in breathingWhat to do when gassed

Goggles are useful for eye protection and are easy to get hold of and carry. ( I personally recommend swimming goggles as the ideal.)

Carry a bottle of solution made up from water and sodium metabisulphate (sold as Campden tablets used in home brewing) as this combination neutralises the effects of CS. If you cannot get this use clean water to rinse the eyes and skin affected.

If you are asthmatic tell the people around you before the action starts, so that if when sprayed you have a bad reaction they'll be able to act appropriately by giving you your medication or getting a doctor.

What to do when sprayed

If you are in the line of spray move backwards out of range rather than sideways where the spray may still be able to reach you. If you are in a building move outside. Your eyesight may become blurred and it is easy to lose awareness of what is going on. Do not run blindly into the arms of the police, or worse still, into traffic. Act calmly and stay aware of your surroundings whilst moving to a safe area.

If possible stand upwind of where the spraying happened and expose the affected part of your body to the wind. This will help disperse the gas quickly.

Flush the affected area of the body with the solution mentioned earlier - or just water if this is not available. Do not touch it as you will spread the chemical around and rub it into your pores. It may be possible that you can rejoin the action right away, as small amounts should only affect you for a few minutes.

When possible have a cold/lukewarm shower (hot water opens the pores and allows gas particles in) as soon as possible. Showers flush the chemical away whilst a bath will just re-distribute it.

How They Affect You:

Both tear gas and pepper spray are skin irritants, causing burning pain and excess drainage from eyes, nose, mouth and breathing passages. Pepper spray is more popular with authorities as an agent of control because of its immediate pain-causing qualities. It is harder to remove from the skin and has the capacity to cause first degree burns.

If you are exposed to either, you may experience:

* stinging, burning in your eyes, nose, mouth and skin * excessive tearing, causing your vision to blur * runny nose * increased salivation * coughing and difficulty breathing * disorientation, confusion and sometimes panic * intense anger from pepper spray exposure is a common response; this can be useful if you are prepared for it and are able to focus it towards recovery and returning to the action.

The good news is that this is temporary.

Prevention:

For most healthy people, the effects of tear gas and are temporary. However, for some people the effects can be long-lasting and life-threatening.People with the conditions listed below should be aware of these risks and may want to try and avoid exposure.

Please be aware that in intense actions, police behavior can be unpredictable, and avoidance is not always possible.

Conditions:

* Folks with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, emphysema, etc. risk exacerbation, or permanent damage if exposed. * Vulnerable people such as infants, the elderly, and the immune compromised, risk intensified and possibly life-threatening responses. * Anyone with chronic health conditions or those on medications that weaken the immune system, (ie: chemotherapy, Lupus, HIV, radiation, or long-term corticosteroids such as prednisone) risk exacerbation of illness, intensified response and possible delayed recovery. * Women who are or could be pregnant, or who are trying to get pregnant, may be at risk of spontaneous abortion, or increased risk of birth defects. * Nursing mothers risk passing toxins on to their infant. * Folks with skin conditions (ie: severe acne, psoriasis, or eczema) and eye conditions (ie: conjunctivitis) risk an intensified response. * People wearing contact lenses may experience increased eye irritation and damage due to chemicals being trapped under the lenses.

FINALLY:

Take care of yourself. If you are grounded, well-rested, fed and watered, you will be less harassed in the action. Dressing appropriately and preparing for the weather is key. Think water, comfy shoes, rain gear/sun protection, more water. Think mobility and comfort. Think creative energy and sustainability.